How long we live is partly genetic and partly environmental. An important question is whether this balance can be altered through will-power? It may be that longevity - as in continuing to live - may have to be integrated with the development of 'enhanced' awareness regarding how life is to be perceived. This suggests that 'Immortality' is not just about living physically longer (as individuals can live longer simply through genetic 'luck') - but also cultivating a deeper and more profound understanding of what it is to be 'alive'. Conversely, an 'enlightened' being might not always possess a perfect body and could well have to inhabit a living vehicle not always optimised. Immortality must then be a relative concept and cannot be used to suggest, denote or support any form of intolerance or artificial (and superficial) standards of purity. Seeing through the fabric of physical existence at the very least allows an individual to suitably 'adjust' to physical circumstances as they inevitably 'change'. Indeed, 'change' is the essence of physical existence and the agency through which we - as individuals - acquire life in the first place! It is also the agency through which life will come to an end. The point is that physical life - regardless of how long it may last - still comes to an end. Therefore, immortality cannot be merely about a continued (cellular) existence and must include a transformation of consciousness. Even so, we all know people who have passed away young - or who have lived (and are still living) a relatively long time! On this note I am pleased to report that my father has turned 80-years old today!
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As far as I can tell, once the mind has been 'stilled' (not an easy task), and the awareness 'expanded' (tricky), then the body and material universe appear to manifest and exist within the conscious awareness. This understanding should be, (although achieved within 'time'), purely 'existential' when profoundly experienced. The 'cause and effect' of spirituality cannot occur without material reality (and the proper placement of events) as conscious growth and development unfold in the correct physical sequence (that is, the correct unfolding of the 'mysterious' path or 'technique'). The correct sequence of events (the 'quest') ensure an enhanced and permanent transformation in 'awareness' (which seems 'timeless') whilst the body continues to 'age' according to natural (mechanical) processes.
The expanded awareness (Samadhi) is purely existential as all past, present and future events (its three reconciled qualities) are easily (and naturally) reconciled within 'it' - here and now. For instance, although the expanded mind is able to discern and participate within dualistic (subject-object) thinking processes (the last word of our previous communication feeds seamlessly into the first word of this exchange - and the time inbetween being both 'insignificant' and yet highly 'relevant') - all barriers fall away when this dualistic function is 'suspended' for the duration of the intense and/or profound meditational experience. When discursive thinking is required - then the 'dualistic' function re-emerges - but we are no longer enslaved to it. In the unenlightened state, we have no choice but to be thrown from one dualistic pole to another - but in the enlightened state - all is well, reconciled, complete and at peace. At least this is the case when we sit quietly in the fully expanded mind - allowing conscious awareness to fully permeate the maximum extent of the six senses. This is the ideal (and the idyllic) state. Everyday life, that is all the machinations concerned with interpersonal interaction, is an 'aside' that can be intense or sedate (and every level inbetween). This 'interlude' is the drama that defines our lives and which forms our (material) personal history. Samadhi exists right in the centre of all this nonsense - and yet has absolutely 'nothing' to do with it! Although we may prefer 'this' or 'that' - Samadhi does not care about any of it - and this is where it might get serious. Although we are 'alive' to be consciously aware - eventually we will be 'dead' to be consciously 'unaware'. I suspect this is the contradiction the Buddha discusses in his Pali Suttas when he describes 'Nirvana' as being 'non-conditioned' and 'beyond' (and 'between') the states of perception and non-perception. This is the reconciliation of 'awareness' and 'non-awareness' - as this is the actual challenge to be dealt with in the human mind, body and environment. The traditional answer is to 'sit through' all the worldly movement so that the 'still' and 'underlying' reality is 'identified' and 'pulled' into the present... Greetings to Everyone!
During the Covid-19 Pandemic, I was contacted by many Qianfeng Disciples, practitioners and supporters from home (in China) and abroad! This was a very difficult and stressful time for the entirety of humanity! Many of you contacted me and described your personal experiences during these highly challenging times – for which I am very grateful! Obviously, these reports included detailed reports regarding your Qianfeng Daoist meditational and qigong practice – and the state of mind you were in at the time! Actually, my personal view on this is that as human-beings, we must experience many different situations and circumstance if we are to grow in understanding and wisdom! Things never remain the same – and nether can we. This is true even if we discover the empty mind ground through the stillness of the surface mind. This is important because although the outer world continuously changes – the Qianfeng Daoust method requires that we change ourselves inwardly, and we achieve this through an act of will! Indeed, wisdom is the by-product of attaining a ‘oneness’ of mind. This is the difficult first stage of Qianfeng practice that even many older practitioners struggle to attain! Stilling the activity of the surface mind allows the empty mind ground to be fully perceived and the inverted awareness of the ordinary (deluded) mind to be transformed and abandoned! This is how the inner journey of the Qianfeng School is accessed! There is no other way! Peace of mind comes from the stilling of the surface mind and the perception of the empty mind ground. The Covid-19 Pandemic prevented our physical movement (a very unusual situation) so that we could sit in our rooms and attempt to ‘still’ our inner minds! The Covid-19 Pandemic generated a state of fear and uncertainty – and many people used this highly unstable situation to motivate the strengthening of their inner searching! This is the correct way of using the uncertainty of the outer circumstances as a means to motivate the ‘stilling’ of mind and implementation of the Qianfeng Daoist methods! Through self-effort, we ‘still’ our minds and change the manner in which our physical bodies inwardly function and outwardly behave! There is an important lesson to be learned here. We all live in different countries and varying cultures. Stability in our outer lives is generally associated with the continuation of law and order within society – which is a good thing (providing it is just). This means that quite often we are not in a position to make any major changes in our external lives (other than in relatively limited personal choices) - so we have to make the best of the situation we are in. Of course, lives can be changed for the better, but the opposite is also true. The ancient ‘Classic’ Chinese texts speak of ‘stabilising’ our inner selves and ‘changing’ our inner selves to meet the challenges of the outer world. If we cannot change the outer world (such as in the Covid-19 Pandemic) - we must all go the other way! Take life seriously and study with vigour and determination! Through the contemplation of outward nature – we can realise our inner nature! WeChat Message: 大家好,在疫情期间来自海内外的不少千峰门内弟子来电,汇报炼功心得以及当前环境的心态。 其实我个人认为,一个人在有生之年要经历许多,当自己无法改变自我,就要有一种心态,一种境界的智慧,无法经营就安心练功,这次疫情就是给修炼者提供非常好的环境,修心炼命。 仔细想想当你无法改变现状的时候,就要去走另一条路,认真领悟人生,感受自然体验自我。@所有人 A firm foundation is produced through self-cultivation which requires both intense meditate and the practice of the physical exercises without interruption.
In this way, reman ‘aware’ of each subtle strand of change which permeates the inner and outer fabric of the mind and body. Use the ‘real truth’ to verify the continuously ‘changing’ interactions of the dragon and tiger. Persevere in this training for a number of years – but have no concern for the passing of time. Perhaps in (over) ten-years' time – a better place will (soon) be entered. This is the realm of Daoist ‘Essential Life Mind-Body' Self-Cultivation. Those who inhabit the central path of exact-being will leave the suffering of the ‘world of dust’. This is the genuine method which, if followed correctly, will grant endless gains – and if followed incorrectly – will inflict many losses. 修者要不间断的去打坐炼功,感受其中丝丝缕缕变化,用真法验证龙虎变化,待几年, 十几年我们就进入佳境,这是道家性命双修之境界,而世尘感觉与我们不在一条路中, 得与失就在于此。 Dear Alex
Each moment of training is nothing less than the 'perfected' moment. This is what the genuine Daoist strives to achieve 'here and now'. Obviously, once this has been said (and achieved), a never-ending stream of 'perfected' nowness flows from 'here' to wherever we 'think' we are going - and indeed - wherever we are actually going in the 'material' world (in both space and time, and the nature of the functioning of our minds and bodies). Everything we are 'sensing' is in flux. The question is wherever you can 'see through' this flux using the methodology of Daoist 'neidan' - as it is not just a matter of 'perceiving' and 'making-sense' of this flux - but also a matter of 'penetrating' through the surface level (using a strengthened and focused perception) which 'sees' and 'unites' with that reality (or 'stillness') which lies beyond the 'movement'. What many experience is that this penetration of 'emptiness' is not permanent - as it appears to come and go. This is a common human experience that cannot be escaped. What I can say is that we must also 'penetrate' the confusion (or departure from the 'empty' and the 'still') as it where a continuation of this stable understanding. This is how the notion of 'contradiction' is integrated into that which 'does not depart' from the highest realisation. The problem emerges when the mind continues to discriminate between 'movement' and 'stillness' - and judges the former inferior to the latter - that suffering re-emerges when the empty-mind seems to 'disappear' - but where could an empty-mind conceivably disappear to? Indeed, the flurrying obscurity of passing thought is not an 'error' even though for a time the traversing of thought across the surface of the mind seems to obscure that which we are a) looking for, and b) attempting to make permanent through 'integration'. The Chinese Daoist practice of 'neidan', is in reality a transformation of the physical breath into a psycho-spiritual manifestation so that the 'physical' and the 'non-physical' exist simultaneously without paradox or contradiction. This is a normal Chinese cultural trait of the mind which underlies all notions of Chinese cultural construction. As Westerners are taught to separate the 'material' from the 'immaterial' (so that they remain forever separate and distinct), this habitual (cultural) integration can be a stumbling-block, or at least an issue with stepping entirely through the 'gate' of Daoist methodology. Many remain 'this side' of the 'gate' - and become hyper-critical of every other opinion which departs from this interpretation of reality. These are things which we must strive to 'seek-out' and 'uproot' so that the training method is one-hundred percent effective when applied. There is a cascade of unfolding development that occurs when the entry of the 'gate' is correct and perfected. As individuals, we do not need to be hyper-critical of everything - we merely need to be able to 'see' clearly what is happening, why it is happening and how we can strengthen or weaken the processes as required. We must not construct false experiences whilst waiting for genuine experiences to manifest. After-all, given the right amount of will-power, we can construct virtually any form of 'imaginary' experiences that simply do not exist in the material sense. There is a process of assessment (logical deduction) which is then broken-down into its constituent parts (so as to ensure that this 'logic' repeats itself continuously throughout the entire process of realisation). This is an important observation, as Daoist philosophy within Chinese culture is not considered 'illogical' or 'departing from the ordinary'. This position of logical philosophy should not be confused with the Daoist tendency to 'resist' everyday society, or to 'prefer' nature over that of urban living - as for every retiring Daoist - there is an example of a Daoist Master who lives quite happily within society (such as Master Zhao Ming Wang). Breath is a material reality (post-natal - later divine sky - later heaven) which is transformed into a psycho-spiritual reality (pre-natal - earlier divine sky - earlier heaven) as the breathing process transitions through the 'neidan' psyche-physical process of training. This is conscious and directed 'returning' to the pure state of life in the womb before the human-mind was broken into 'subject-object' perception by the birth-process into the gross physical world, and the human breath and mind 'separated' into two distinct and seemingly 'different' physical aspects of conscious life. The practice of 'nei-dan' is a methodology that 'reverses' or 'returns' the post-natal state of diverse mind-body existence back to the pristine state of the fully integrated 'oneness' of pure pre-natal state. Any mind-set, physical habit or reaction which diverts the practitioner away from this position has to be carefully removed from the system. With Metta Adrian When I was young, the term ‘道’ (Dao) was explained to me as a very important philosophical concept within Chinese thought. This term is not only ‘spiritual’ and ‘religious’, but is also used in material politics, sociology, physics, chemistry and even military science, etc! The term ‘道’ (Dao) is a central concept that permeates the entirety of Chinese thinking. The ‘Dao’ is the optimum ‘Way’ for a human-being to behave given a certain set of inner and outer conditions and circumstances! The ‘Dao’ unite mind, body and environment so that inner energy flows without hindrance or obstruction! If the ‘Dao’ is not followed, then mind is alienated from body, whilst the body is divorced from the environment. Internal energy is blocked everywhere and nothing significant can be achieved. Within the mind and body illnesses develop, whilst the environment is exploited in a destructive and unsustainable manner. This is why the term ‘道’ (Dao) refers to a ‘scholar’ who pursues a ‘path’ which unites the ‘divine sky’ and the ‘broad earth’. As the ‘divine sky’ and the ‘broad earth’ are united – the path is considered to be both ‘correct’ and ‘good’! ‘道’ (dao4) is comprised of the left-hand particle ‘辶’ (chuo4) which draws the picture of ‘feet’ following a ‘road’ or ‘path’. This is a contracted version of ‘辵’ (chuo4) which presents a situation where a person walks for a time – and then sits and rest for a time. As the direction of the journey is well-known and there is no danger due to bad planning or hostile environments – the traveller is at his or her ease and all is ‘balanced’ and ‘tranquil’. This is a well-trodden path that has been made safe by those who have gone before and carefully recorded the correct path to take. Furthermore, there are times to travel and there are times to rest. When the timing is correct – both activities are ‘correct’. The right-hand particle is ‘首’ (shou3). An earlier version of this ideogram is ‘𩠐’ (shou3) which clearly depicts a ‘head’ with tufts of hair upon the top. Eventually, these three-tufts were replaced with ‘丷’ (ba2) - a contracted version of ‘八‘ [ba2] meaning the number ‘eight’ (possibly referring to the mastery of the ‘bagua’ or ‘Eight Trigrams’) - so that the ideogram became ‘首’ (shou3). This image literally represents an anatomical ‘head’, as well as the abstract idea of a ‘head’ or ‘chief’ of a clan, region or country, etc. It is someone with authority – but this authority is not arbitrary but rather the product of ‘seeing’ more, an ability gained whilst on a structured journey of self-cultivation. When all combined into ‘道’ (dao4) - this person is in a ‘natural’ position of leadership because he or she simply ‘knows’ more than those he or she would lead to safety. Such a person wears the ‘scholar’s hat’ and has possibly passed the government examination, as the knowledge possessed ‘unites’ the ‘divine sky’ with the ‘broad earth’ and peace prevails even in the remotest of places (signified by the two tufts of hair in ‘丷’ (ba2))! This person ‘knows’ where the journey ‘begins’ and in what ‘direction’ and traveller must go. There is no doubt or hesitation!
Dear BA This is a truly profound email and I am grateful to receive it. There are times during meditation where the bliss manifests in the centre of the forehead and all breathing 'ceases'. It ceases because the quality of perceiving the empty mind is so pristine and exact that breathing is no longer required. I believe this is death. It is also life. The point is, concepts no longer exist. Conscious awareness finally detaches itself from the breathing mechanism. Breathing only 'returns' when I stir the consciousness in search of the breathing mechanism - then it returns. Even then, although breathing begins functioning again, it is entirely translucent whilst performing its biological function. I suspect this is how we die as Ch'an practitioners. The physical body just dissolves into a perceptual irrelevance. I do not experience any of the Phowa teaching as being applicable to my experience. The body goes nowhere, because it was never really here. Of course, our individual paths colour the experience somewhat, because each teaches 'looking' in slightly different ways. I am probably experiencing Phowa precisely but just do not realise it! Everything becomes like multitudinous prisms that over-lap, integrate and entwine. Conceptualisation falls apart and has no direct place or relevance. When the mind 'stills' all thought ceases and a blissful emptiness manifests. This state is always present when you look inward. Indeed, there is a great need to continuously meditate because it is so pleasurable. This is attachment to emptiness which must be given up so that the empty mind expands to embrace all things (including your body). This is level 16 in Taoist Yoga. The external school of Qianfeng teaches these 16 steps one at a time - but the internal school begins with attaining step 16 straightaway and all the health benefits fall into place as the conscious awareness permeates through every cell of the body. The external path of Qianfeng builds health slowly and methodically whilst the internal path cultivates 'shen' (empty mind) specifically and everything is quite literally dragged into place in the wake of its achievement. It all depends on what you need.
Are Daoists believing in things that are not there? I am a realist who believes in science and the primacy of matter, whilst fully acknowledging the importance of consciousness. My view is that Daoism is a science but one which allows the effect of consciousness upon matter. I am not talking about any notion of idealism, or suggesting that the human mind can effect change in the environment without recourse to intermediate action. (Although ’mind to mind’ or ‘mind to object’ communication may be possible, I do not believe it has been adequately proven at this present time). What I am suggesting is that when the mind interacts with the interior of the body it occupies, there is an entirely different and unique relationship between mind and matter, which is non-existent between the mind and external object (as far as we know), or at least very different. When awareness is correctly directed and focused upon the bodily processes, then jing (精), qi (氣) and shen (神) manifest (as an integration of consciousness and matter). As matters stand, this capacity is not yet able to be measured by modern science, and so therefore remains outside of its scrutiny. Daoism offers a methodology of specific awareness which generates that which is searched for – it is a mind - body co-operation and not a pre-existing and independent material process. Yes, the physical body exists and can be measured to confirm its presence within time and space, but jing, qi and shen are not like this. They are the product of a material body fed through the filter of an all-embracing consciousness awareness. If this is the case, then what is the point of Daoism? Why not just forget about it and consign it to the dustbin of history? The reason is that when the mind and body interact in this manner, strength is built, health is made more robust, and life is extended. All this is achieved without recourse to modern pharmacology.
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AuthorAdrian Chan-Wyles (內丹 - Shi Da Dao) - Qianfeng Lineage: Zhao Bichen (1860-1942), Charles Luk (1898-1978) and Richard Hunn (1949-2006). Acknowledges Master Zhao Ming Wang (赵明旺) of Beijing as the ONLY Lineage Head of the Zhao Family Lineage of Qianfeng Daoism in China and the world. Archives
February 2024
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